Eduardo González Hernández
Puerto Rican, born 1931
The Three Kings and the Three Marys / Los Tres Reyes con las Tres Marías, 2002
Polychromed wood
8 x 11 x 10 inches
Lent from a private Florida collection

The theme of the Three Kings and the Three Marys is unique to Puerto Rico and refers to a local legend. According to this popular folk tale, three women from the Gospel accounts of Christ's life, Mary Magdelene, Mary Cleophas and Mary Salome (or the Virgin Mary in another version of the tale) accompanied the Three Kings on their journey to Bethlehem to pay homage to the Christ Child. Typically, the three Marys travel on foot and light the way with torches while the kings ride horses—probably because camels were unknown to early artisans. Following the Puerto Rican folk art tradition, Melchor is the dark-skinned king mounted on a white horse who points ahead to signal the way to Bethlehem. The Feast of the Three Kings, also known as the Feast of the Epiphany, is celebrated throughout Puerto Rico on January 6.